Rains in western Indonesia leave two dead, 2,700 homes flooded

More than 2,700 houses were flooded in Medan, which has about 2.9 million people, forcing authorities to cut off electricity and water supplies.
A young girl washes a pillow in flood water near ruins of houses at a neighborhood affected by the flood in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo | AP)
A young girl washes a pillow in flood water near ruins of houses at a neighborhood affected by the flood in Medan, North Sumatra, Indonesia. (Photo | AP)

MEDAN: Torrential rains in Indonesia's third largest city caused four rivers to overflow, flooding thousands of homes and killing at least two people, officials said Friday.

The local disaster mitigation agency said rescuers were searching for six missing people, including a toddler, after the heavy rains in Medan, the capital of North Sumatra province.

At least two people were found dead after being swept away by the floods, which began Thursday evening, the agency said in a statement.

More than 2,700 houses were flooded in the city, which has about 2.9 million people, forcing authorities to cut off electricity and water supplies, it said.

On Friday, rescuers took 181 people to temporary shelters after floodwaters reached as high as 5 meters (16 feet) in several places.

Floods and landslides are common in Indonesia during the rainy season.

Severe flooding and landslides that hit greater Jakarta early this year killed more than 60 people, displaced hundreds of thousands and forced an airport to close.

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